Sunwing Survey Finds Canadians Ready To Travel

As Canadians across the country continue to get vaccinated and borders beginning to reopen, a new survey commissioned by Sunwing makes it abundantly clear that there’s a pent-up demand for travel.

Results indicate that over half (58%) of Canadians plan on returning to travel in the next 12 months, with over two-thirds (68%) of those respondents indicating they are interested in an all-inclusive vacation.

The survey also revealed that 57% of Canadians — with at least one dose of the vaccine — intend on travelling this upcoming holiday season.

The survey was conducted by Sunwing among members of the Angus Reid Forum between July 19 to July 20, 2021 with a nationally representative sample of 1,533 Canadians, in both English and French. For comparison purposes only, a sample of this size would yield a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations at Sunwing, observed that: “As we emerge from the pandemic following almost a year without travel, we’re seeing more demand than ever before.”

Dawson pointed out that: “As our research shows, holiday and winter departures are becoming increasingly popular as Canadians look to make up for last year’s lockdown. We’re already seeing some of the most popular resorts selling out on key winter dates, which rarely happens so early in the booking cycle. We recommend travellers book soon to secure their piece of paradise under our wing.”

The tour company’s survey also discovered that there is a growing interest in group bookings; younger travellers are especially eager to vacation as a group, with almost 40% of respondents aged 18-34 indicating they would be travelling with friends on their next getaway.

In addition, the survey reported that more than one-third (38%) of all respondents who plan on travelling in the next 12 months indicated an interest in vacationing with family members, while nearly three-quarters (71%) expressed an intent to travel with their partner or significant other.

Samantha Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer at Sunwing, said: “We’re seeing some exciting new travel trends emerge as Canadians plan their highly anticipated vacations.”

Taylor said that: “Group getaways are becoming increasingly sought after, as family and friends plan to reunite at an all-inclusive resort, while travelling with a significant other is another popular choice. This shows that there is heightened demand for frictionless vacation experiences – just book, travel and enjoy.”

Other insights from the survey include:

• Residents of British Columbia are significantly more likely to be planning leisure travel this holiday season, with 71% indicating they would be travelling this winter
• 68% of respondents from across the country who plan on travelling within the next year are interested in an all-inclusive vacation, with the most interest from Saskatchewan and Manitoba (78%) and Atlantic Canada (73%)
• Respondents from British Columbia (71%), Saskatchewan (64%) and Alberta (61%) were most interested in travelling during the upcoming holiday season

Sunwing is set to resume its flights to select destinations on July 30, 2021 and for agents who book their clients by Aug. 9, 2021, those clients will enjoy flexible booking options including the ability to change or cancel anytime with ease, complimentary Price Drop Cash Back of up to $800 per couple at select resort and convenient monthly payment options.

Go to www.sunwing.ca for more.